1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a system including a microcontroller and methods thereof and a microcontroller and methods thereof, and more particularly to a system including a microcontroller for securing data and methods thereof, and a microcontroller for securing data and methods thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventional memory cards may include storage and a controller for controlling the storage. Memory cards including a flash memory may be referred to as flash cards. Because memory cards may be capable of storing a higher amount of data (e.g., hundreds of megabytes of data), they may be employed within electronic devices (e.g., digital cameras, camcorders, game machines, etc.). Examples of memory card classes may include multimedia cards (MMC), secure digital (SD) cards, compact flash cards, memory sticks, etc. The various classes of memory cards may include different performance characteristics (e.g., operating speed, memory size, etc.). Data stored on memory cards may not be secure. Data in external storage may include a higher level of security. However, data may not be secure during a data operation of a memory card (e.g., a write operation in the external storage).
Conventional smart cards may be fabricated as flat, rectangular pieces of plastic (e.g., resembling credit cards in size, shape, and thickness) and may include an integrated circuit (IC) chip. The IC chip may include a microprocessor, a card operating system, a security module, and/or a memory. Smart cards may include a lower risk of data loss and a higher level of security as compared to magnetic stripe cards. Newer smart cards may require a higher capacity of external data storage (e.g., hundreds of megabytes) because embedded memory may include a lower capacity (e.g., one megabyte or less).
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional smart card system 105. As shown, the smart card system 100 may include a microcontroller 100 and an external storage 170. The microcontroller 100 may include a random access memory (RAM) 120, a read-only memory (ROM) 130, an internal storage 140, a central processing unit (CPU) 150, a host interface 110 communicating with a host (not shown), and an external interface 160 communicating with the external storage 170, each of which may be connected to a system bus 180. The CPU 150 may read data from the external storage 170 in response to a command from the host.
The CPU 150 may also write data to the external storage 170 in response to a command from the host.
The external storage 170 may be vulnerable to a malicious user (e.g., a hacker). For example, if a user uses the smart card system 100 after a hacker modifies the external storage 170, the data stored in the external storage 170 may not be intended for the user.